SOCIALIZE THE PATIENTS FIRST, THE DOCTORS LATER

Powerline ^ | 11/4/2013 | STEVEN HAYWARD

[markomalley]

With Obamacare shaping up as a public policy disaster that is the equivalent of the Tacoma Narrows Bridge, the Hindenburg, the Bay of Pigs, and Desert One combined, perhaps we should go back and take in Ronald Reagan’s warning about this back in 1961.  Reagan said that socializing health care would require socializing the patients, and voila, we have Obamacare canceling insurance plans previously agreed to between consenting adults.

But Reagan also warned that doctors would come to be regulated, too:

Today, the relationship between patient and doctor in this country is something to be envied any place. The privacy, the care that is given to a person, the right to chose a doctor, the right to go from one doctor to the other.

But let’s also look from the other side, at the freedom the doctor loses. A doctor would be reluctant to say this. Well, like you, I am only a patient, so I can say it in his behalf. The doctor begins to lose freedoms; it’s like telling a lie, and one leads to another. First you decide that the doctor can have so many patients. They are equally divided among the various doctors by the government. But then the doctors aren’t equally divided geographically, so a doctor decides he wants to practice in one town and the government has to say to him you can’t live in that town, they already have enough doctors. You have to go someplace else. And from here it is only a short step to dictating where he will go.

So what do we see happening?  A Democrat in Virginia is advocating that doctors be required to see Medicare and Medicaid patients.  We can see where this is going:

FYI last night at the Great Falls Grange debate, Democrat delegate candidate Kathleen Murphy said that since many doctors are not accepting medicaid and medicare patients, she advocates making it a legal requirement for those people to be accepted.

She did not recognize that the payments are inadequate to cover the doctors’ costs.  She also did not recognize there is a shortage of over 45,000 physicians now and that it is forecast to be 90,000 in a few years.

Democrats appear to want to make physicians slaves of the state, but Democrats don’t admit they would just drive more doctors out of practice into retirement and other occupations.

As Reagan said in 1961, don’t say you weren’t warned.

By the way, here’s the whole 10-minute Reagan recording on Medicare if you’d like to take it in:

(video at link)

[Arthur Wildfire! March]

A scocialized doctor will almost always be a free market reject. The good doctors will practice in obama-free zones.

[Lonesome in Massachussets]

If you really want to improve healthcare, think supply side. Remove unnecessary impediments to the practice of medicine, widen access to medical training, punish lawyers who bring unwarranted lawsuits (English Rule!).

[devolve]

Osama-Scare (just napping!)

[Liz]

The faulty billion dollar web site is affecting doctors, as well as, AWOL enrollees. Seems when doctors--who are required to--enter your medical records data---they get pixels instead of patients.

===============================================

Why healthcare.gov failed includes: billion dollar pay
checks to cronies, insiders, and Mrs O's Princeton classmate.......

No problem, taxpayers---"cutting edge" govt is fixing the web site.

OBAMA CALLS Mrs O: "Before she pocketed some of the billion dollars,
your pal shoulda told us they didn't teach web site construction at Princeton."

SECY SIBELIUS TO OBAMA: "While you're on your brand new brick
phone, Mr President, get a few more cases of these cute floppy disks
Mrs O's Princeton classmate provided."

==============================================

During the web site crisis, Mrs O displayed her usual “tolerance and compassion” (sob). She ordered the WH kitchen to provide the hardworking fix-it team with glass carafes of Chock-ful-of-Nuts coffee, cans of evaporated milk, packets of aspartame, and fresh made donuts fried in olestra.

=======================================================

Toni Townes-Whitley, Senior Vice President at "CGI Federal" for
Civilian Agency programs, healthcare.gov designers is Princeton Class of
1985---same dumbed-down class as Michelle Obama. Both are members of
the racial separatist organization----Association of Black Princeton Alumni.

" At Princeton, Michele and I took intellectually challenging courses like
Black Is Beautiful, How To Intimidate Employers with The Civil Rights Act,
Getting Ahead Using Your Skin Color, with graduate studies in Pay-Me-I'm-
A-Victim methodologies."

[Dr. Ursus]

You left out Getting the Corner Office without earning it!

[PATRIOT1876]

Next up:

Black Market doctors

[Buckeye McFrog]

a great Beverly Hillbillies line...

Mr. Faversham: But you see, here in the United Kingdom we have Socialized Medicine.

Granny: I can see that. While the people need medicine, the doctors are all out socializing!

[Vaduz]

As Reagan said in 1961, don’t say you weren’t warned.

Amen